Chapter 16

Azrial sighed as he slowly sat up on the ground. He could feel as some of the splinters from the wood began to dig into his skin. He groaned as he realized that he would have to try and do a better job at cleaning up his cave. He hadn’t cleaned it in a while and he had to admit that he had been slacking.

He sighed as he ran a hand down his face as he tried to clear the sleep from his eyes. He hadn’t had any nightmares in a while and for him that was a first. He looked down at his bare body but took no notice of it. He didn't care about his appearance and so didn’t bother about trying to cover up for other people.

He felt an itch on his skin as he reached out to scratch his rough beard. He cursed himself lowly as he realized that it was the best time for him to get a little trim.

He made his way out of the cave and took notice of the fact that the sun was just then starting to rise from over the horizon. He stretched out his limbs as he made his way towards the river that was nearest at the bottom of the valet. He knew that he had to be careful of the booby traps that he had set on the valley it was mainly to help them catch dinner but it also helped to keep intruders off his territory. He almost laughed at the irony of it; he knew that there was no one that would want to cross the border if they were aware of who he was.

He sighed as he was able to swiftly doge the ones that were placed in his path. He moved towards the stream as he knew that he hadn’t taken a bath in a few days. wehn tou had gotten as old as he was everything just seemed to blend in with each other and eventually you just become adapted to living a monotone life. He made his way into the river as he let out a sigh from his lips at the feeling of the cool water against his skin. He let out a sigh as he allowed himself to enjoy the warmth of the water. He let out a sigh until he felt something tickle his side.

He sighed as he realized that it was time for him to leave. This was once siren territory but after he had been left here they had quickly left the place to him. He reached for his clippers and was able to trim his beard. The rest of his day fell into a steady rhythm as he fell into the same routine. it was the same one that he had been living for the past several months.

He let out a sigh from his lips at the thought as he spent the rest of the day sweeping his cave and hunting for any stray animals that would dare to trespass onto his territory. He had caught a deer and he was almost excited to know that he was going to have enough skin to make a nice coat for himself.

He spent the night under the stars as he took in the view above him. The stars were the only things that seemed to keep him company these days. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a loud howl in the distance followed by a whimper. He tried not to be fazed as he remained still knowing that it wasn’t his business to interfere but then he heard the sound of the loud whimper again. He sighed as he sat up slowly and used his enhanced vision to scan across the forest. He couldn’t see anything but he could hear the shuffling off bushes behind him,

Despite everything inside him that was telling him that he should stay out and to move towards the sound he decided against his better judgment. He followed the sound down towards the valley and cursed when he saw that it was a wolf that had gotten caught in one of his traps.

He stared at it for a moment and he wondered if it was a werewolf but as he sniffed the air he realized that it was an ordinary wolf. He approached it with caution and he saw that it was heavily injured; it had a part of its ear that was missing and a scar above its eye.

He approached it cautiously as he raised his hand in front of him to show it that he meant no harm and that he wasn’t a threat. It growled lightly but he lowered himself towards the trap and was able to quickly free its foot from the hold that it had.

He heard as it let out a low whimper before a glance of relief came over him. he watched as the creature began to lick its wound and he sighed before smiling at it as he realized it was a girl.

He tried to move away from her but she whimpered again as she reached out to nudge his hand once more.

“You must leave. I am no good.” He said to her and as he stood up to his feet he watched as she staggered to her own. He groaned in frustration and decided to ignore her as he made his way back to his cave. He knew that she would leave eventually, “You are going to stay there, you aren’t allowed in here.” He called out to her and as though she could understand him he watched as she sat down on the ground. He had thought that she would leave but a week later she was still there and soon enough he formed a bond with her.

it was Ironic a wolf and a werewolf but he didn’t mind and for once he felt as though he wasn’t as alone and he used to be.